NBA playoffs: New York Knicks top Boston Celtics in Game 1

Carmelo Anthony started fast, struggled through the middle and finished with a flurry.

And the host New York Knicks, after knocking the Boston Celtics from the top of the Atlantic Division, took the first step toward knocking them out of the playoffs.

Anthony scored 36 points, leading the Knicks to an 85-78 victory Saturday in their playoff opener.

"It's a wonderful feeling to know that we got our first win of the series here on our home court, took care of that business," Anthony said. "It was real important for us to come out and get this first win."

The NBA's scoring leader had 10 quick points and endured a tough shooting night before scoring eight points in the fourth quarter. Anthony shot only 13 for 29 but made consecutive baskets late in the final period, when the Knicks held Boston to three baskets and eight points.

Williams even had a reverse dunk in the third quarter, showing how much better he feels after ankle pain had him playing well below his usual level before the All-Star break, when he could barely jump.

Carlos Boozer had 25 points and eight rebounds for the Bulls, who had Joakim Noah in the starting lineup despite foot pain. But he was clearly limited, and there was no reason to play him more than the 14 minutes he got with the game never in doubt after halftime.

Bulls point guard Derrick Rose sat out because of the knee injury that has sidelined him since last year's postseason opener, but coach Tom Thibodeau left open the possibility Rose could play later in the postseason.

Lakers-Spurs: Los Angeles won't have injured guard Kobe Bryant (torn Achilles tendon) when it faces San Antonio in a Western Conference first-round series that begins Sunday.

Are the Spurs going to miss competing against their nemesis?

"Not really," Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said. "Of course, playing against him makes you better, that's for sure. He challenges you on every possession, but I'm not going to miss him, that's for sure."

The Lakers received some good news with point guard Steve Nash expected to play after missing the final eight games of the season with a hamstring/hip injury.

Thunder-Rockets: In a classic plot twist, James Harden and his Houston Rockets faded just enough in the final stretch of the season to drop to the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference, just as his old team locked up the top seed.

That set up a first-round clash beginning Sunday between Harden and the Oklahoma City Thunder, the team that drafted him and where he spent his first three seasons.

"I knew it was going to happen like this, for some reason," Harden said. "That's the beauty of it, that's what basketball is."